Incidence of Perfluoroalkyl Substances in Commercial Eggs and Their Impact on Consumer's Safety

Eggs play an important role in a balanced diet; however, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recognizes eggs as a major source of poly and per-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs). In this study, the presence of PFASs was analysed in eggs produced by hens from Northern Italian regions, a PFASs-contaminated area. Sixty-five samples were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry. The greatest presence of PFASs was found in eggs from Veneto and Emilia Romagna, and the most detected PFASs were perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) (mean concentrations 0.30 +/- 0.15 and 0.05 +/- 0.00 ng g-1). Considering the most recent updates for the sum of the main four PFASs, the highest concentration found in the analysed samples was 0.05 ng g-1, well below the maximum limit set by the European Union. The PFAS intake evaluation confirmed that egg consumption does not represent a risk for Italian consumers.

Automated summary

This study analyzed the presence of PFASs in eggs produced in a PFASs-contaminated area in Northern Italy. The highest concentrations of PFASs were found in eggs from Veneto and Emilia Romagna, but were still well below the maximum limit set by the European Union. Therefore, egg consumption does not pose a risk to Italian consumers.